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Continue reading →: House of Fury by Evelio Rosero
translated from the Spanish (Colombia) by Victor Meadowcroft – published 2025 This is a wild ride indeed, though with a necessary steady build up. Set over the course of a single cataclysmic evening in Bogota it begins with Nacho Caicedo, a supreme court magistrate, hosting an anniversary party along with…
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Continue reading →: Predictions for the International Booker Longlist
It’s the announcement of the International Booker Longlist on Tuesday (25th), a literary highlight of the year (for me at least). I usually post about it a few days before, and make a few predictions, which are usually wrong… It’s really difficult to predict I think, and that’s part of…
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Continue reading →: Days in the Ibias ValleyThe Ibias valley is a wine producing area and it’s the time of the year to prune the vines. These are small, usually family run, vineyards unlike the Douro valley where it’s big business. The area around San Antolín is also known for its rich history. A walking trail, the…
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Continue reading →: Down The Rabbit Hole
Or Fiesta en la Madriguera – Mexico 2024 – Comedy Drama Based on a novel by Juan Pablo Villalobos, of whose writing I am a big fan, this is the story of the life of a ten year old boy whose father is one of Mexico’s drug lords. The child…
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Continue reading →: Dealing With The Dead by Alain Mackanbou
translated from the French (DR Congo) by Helen Stevenson – Published 2025 This was my fourth Mabanckou novel, and though I’ve enjoyed them all, this is best. Liwa Ekimakingaï is dead at just 24, and trapped with the ghosts of other dead in the Frère Lachaise cemetery wandering aimlessly listening…
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Continue reading →: Parada de SilThese days, due to its position, life in the village of Parada de Sil is based around tourism. As well as several restaurants, a couple of bars and hotels, there is a permanent population of only 260. Thirty years ago it was double that. It’s a case, as in many…
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Continue reading →: The High Life for the WeekendFor the weekend I moved to the northern reaches of the Serra do Barroso mountains, close to the Spanish border, above the town of Ervededo to a small community called Castelãos. Above the hamlet is a Sanctuary and recreational area that I had found on the map, at about 800…
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Continue reading →: Río Muerto by Ricardo Silva Romero
translated from the Spanish (Colombia) by Victor Meadowcroft – Published 2025 Set in the rural village of Bélen de Chami in Colombia in the early 1990s this is a disturbing description of a community in the throes of a seemingly unending civil war. Specifically, it concerns a family of four,…
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Continue reading →: Underground Barbie by Maša Kolanović
translated from the Croatian by Ena Selamovic – Published 2025 This is the story of a young girl who collects Barbie dolls during the 1990s war in Zagreb, then Yugoslavia, playing make-believe games with them with her friends in the basement of the family’s apartment building underground, while above, a…
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Continue reading →: Serra do BarrosoIt’s a quiet time of year to visit the vineyards of the hills above the Douro river. There are a few tourist buses around, and some of the hotels are still open; wine tourism isn’t dependent on the weather, though it does seem visitors appreciate it a bit warmer. There…
To live more widely
supera superiora sequi
SafeReturnDoubtful is my alias. Rua is my fox red labrador pup, born 14 Feb 2026 and learning fast..
Where is Rua?
I was so much older then…
Quote of the Week
Alice asked the Cheshire Cat, who was sitting in a tree, ‘What road do I take?’ The cat asked, ‘Where do you want to go?’ ‘I don’t know,’ Alice answered. ‘Then,’ said the cat, ‘it really doesn’t matter, does it?’
Lewis Carroll
Safe Return Doubtful 